Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-03-18

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next car touched the abutment there was
tremor, and in an instant the farther end
of the bridge gave way, and, the third car
breaking through, it went down, dragging
the four remaining cars with it into the
street below, distance of between 30 and
40 feet. The bridge was iron girded, about
100 feet long and 40 feet wide. An embark
ment 30 feet high runs for long distance
each way from the bridge, ON the top Of
which the tracks are located.
A scene of horror at once followed the
crash. The women shrieked in agony and
strong men wept like children. just as
soon as the first crash was over, those who
were uninjured at once began to assist their
less fortunate comrades. Some were killed
outright, while others received terrible
wounds. Many of the women lost their
clothes in the train by their being torn
from their bodies.
The Work of Relief.
The engineer of the train felt something
like a sudden strain or blow rs the bridge
gave way and the train parted, and looking
back was Mortified to see that the bridge
had gone and several of the cars had dis
appeared He Immediately stopped his en-
CINE, and found that three cars remained
on the embankment, while the others were
in the highway below. He then sounded
the whistle and attracted the attention of
people in the vicinity, and then ran his ma
chine into Boston to give the alarm and
fetch back surgeons and other helpers.
A police officer. who was one of the first
to arrive ON the scene, gave ire-alarn
| signal and brought quickly to the scene the
fire apparatus Of that section. In the over
turned smoking car, in which at least d
men We're imprisoned, slight fire from tn,
stove made its appearance, hut was speedily
extinguished. With this exception there
was not the least indication of fire 10 max,
of the wreck horrible holocaust.
| The scene fifteen minutes after the acct
dent was indeed terrible one and will moi
soon be forgotten. The dead were lyinl
about on the ground, and the sobbing anC
crying of the women added confusion to tn,
| horror. 1t was not very long, however
before order came from the chaos, and thu
work Of the rcscuers went on without in
terruption until the arrival of the specia
train from Boston, which brought out
large corps of physicians and other willin,
hands to assist the injured
The Terrible Scenes.
The scene as the work of taking out tn
dead, removing the wounded and clearing
away the wreck began was terrible one
but its worst features were soon over an
the dead and wounded were cared for in
remarkably short space of time. All day
however, as the work of removing tn
wreckage was carried on, evidences wer
found of the terrible nature of the disaster
In some places were fragments of flesh an
pieces of clothing which had belonged I
some victim whose remains had been +,
moved to the morgue. There was bloc
over everything, scarcely splinter bein
removed that was not red-stained with I'll
blood of the victims Most of the pieces
clothing found were from the garments
women, the number of whom on the trai
was much larger than that of the men.
one place the bodies of seven women wei
taken out in row All were horribl
mangled. One woman was cut completed
in two, the upper half of her body only b.
ing found A pathetic sight was that
two girls with arms around one anothe
clinging in the embrace of death Both ha
been killed by blows upon the head.
many instances axes and crowbars were ne
: essary in order to free the people who wei
pinioned in the wreck. In two cases it WI
necessary to cut the bodies in order to e
, them out. They were already crushed OF
of any semblance to human shape and wei
so tightly wedged in that they could be +
moved in no other way One of the mo
A terrible scenes at the accident was that pr
scented to those who first hurried to ii
: street under the bridge The headless trm
of a woman was found lying across tin
Der, with one arm completely gone and Il
lower limbs all cut and mangled. The he,
2 was found among the tangled iron al
L fragments of car few feet away. Son
p of those who were slightly injured were
dazed after being taken out that they cou
not realize what had occurred. One ms
was seen to walk from the wreck in the {
- rection of Roslindale. When about doz'
yards from the wreck he fell dead eth
p from excitement or internal injuries.
r. Martin Lynch, who was at work wi
V several men cutting willows on the mea
Ows close by the Bussey bridge, saw d
, accident and thus describes the scene;
saw the train coming and stopped to lo'
at it. l saw it go ON the bridge. l MOTTO
e that the train was acting queer. The e
e CINE and three cars were across, but &
n whole train was shaking and swaying mt
violently Then Just as the fourth car W
half on the bridge and half on the emban
y ment on the other side the bridge we
hONh' Inc nun pluhbbu hbNh WIN
and its fall dragged back and down in
the pit below the fourth car, which was
ready half way on the bank. The car
. hind the fifth car came plunging, crashi
= down upon it, and the last car of all, t
Y smoker, rolled over twice AS it went dov
5 the embankment. my God, the bridge
u down. yelled Run, boys, and ia
Y your axes ~ | started as fast as could
e and they with me. 1t was an awful sigl
c Such struggling and signing and moanil
e | never heard in all my life. Some of /
4 passengers who first succeeded in getti
2 clear from the wreck seemed dazed, bew
dered, scarcely able to realize what h
happened or where they were. Othe
could and did help us, but on the south 81
- of the wreck. There was no other help
# nearly 10 minutes
- The sixth car of the train, which "
a evidently the first TO fall, struck square
Il upon its trucks upon the highway, aud d
> parently but little injured The other ca
y. were piled around it in a confused wre
4, mixed inextricably with the ruins of I
p bridge. The smoking car, which was t
~ rear car of the train, turned complet,
over and struck ON its roof. 1t was full
Il passengers, but strangely only two of tn,
We're killed This was due, it is believed,
the fact that the car had strong, mont,
top which resisted the terrible pressure.
What Caused the Wreck.
Il The bridge, as has been said, was an ir
% one and had been i'll use for several yea
4 Originally it had a wood truss, but a f,
| years ago the wooden truss was replac
D. with an iron one. What caused the brid
N TO give way cannot yet be certainly know
|, There is some reason for believing that I
r fatal point of weakness lay in flaw in o
" end of one of the iron trusses. Some pa
e. of the bridge at points of connection Sc,
N TO have been badly rusted. Some belle
n that rail broke and that the wrecked co
r were off the track when they struck I
e bridge, Marks were found ON the wreC
ia age of the bridge which indicate that jon
IN nal broke, and, dropping down, dealt I
As bridge blow which carried it down.
l. The broken truss referred to shows a
a. agonal fracture Of the broken iron J, the bro
,e en- surface being about IL inches long. f
s. ly eight inches of the fracture is black vi
is rust and dirt, while the remaining fo
is inches is bright and fresh metal. I'm I
in opinion of those who examined it the ru
a ed portion of the fracture indicates the {
n tent of a very old flaw in the metal, VIII
o. the fresh break doubtless took place at I
10 time Of the accident.
Professors Swim aud Nosa of tho Mas